Braiding machine for braiding knotless netting

ABSTRACT

Lace braiding machine for braiding knotless netting. A mechanized braiding assembly is circularly arranged, in horizontal orientation, wherein two rows of wing wheels are provided, with means for carrying and interchanging net lacing needles, provision being made for tracks and track switches for the guidance of these needles. Braid elements formed in this assembly are transported to the upper central region of the machine, where braid lifter means, synchronized with the mechanism of the braiding assembly, complete the loops of the netting and provide for progressive transfer thereof to an overlying take-off unit.

United States atent Berger 1 51 Feb. 6, 1973 1 1 BRAIDING MACHINE FOR BRAIDING 949,245 2/1910 Orthmann ..87/30 KNOTLESS NETTING I Primary Examiner+John Petrakes [75] Inventor. Heinz Berger, Oldenburg, Germany Attorney-None and Nolte [73] Assignee: August Herzog Machinenfabrik, O1-

denburg, Germany [57] ABSTRACT [2 Filfidl 1970 Lace braiding machine for braiding knotless netting. A [21] Appl No; 77 509 mechanized braiding assembly is circularly arranged, in horizontal orientation, wherein two rows of wing [30] Foreign Application Priority Data wheels are provided, with means for carrying and in- Oct. 3, 1969 Germany ..P 19 49 893.2 terchanging net lacing needles provisi? being made I for tracks and track switches for the guldance of these [52] US. Cl. ..87/8, 87/33, 87/53 needles. Braid elements formed in this assembly are [51 Int. Cl. ..D04c 1/00, D04c 3/00, D O4c 3/02 transported to the upper central region of the [58] Field of Search ..87/58, 28-30, machine, where braid lifter means, synchronized with 3, 53 the mechanism of the braiding assembly, complete the loops of the netting and provide for progressive [56] References Cited transfer thereof to an overlying take-off unit.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 19 Claims, 46 Drawing Figures 1,997,210 4/1935 Ford ct al. ..87/6 2,096,592 10/1937 Petersen ..87/30 PAIENIEDFEB 6m SHEET OIUF 30 Heinz BERGER his ATTQQN PATENTEUFEB s 1975 SHEET UZUF 30 mm lilml .I E 8 B V m m his ATTORNEYS PATENT-EUFEB 6 I975 Sl-IEET 033F 30 2 1 J M17 pm 7. r r\ h m w w m m KK MW i 2 n E h\ H his ATTORNEYS PATENTEDFEB 6l973 3.714.862 SHEET UQUF 30 INVENTO? Heinz 8m WM mm his ATTORNEY S PATENTEDFEB ems 3.714.862

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1. A machine for knotless net braiding comprising: a generally circular, horizontal braiding assembly having normal braiding units for braiding yarns into interlaced net elements; wing wheels in each braiding unit for said braiding; lacing needles on said wheels; track switches generally interposed between such wing wheels; power and control means for the braiding assembly, to move the lacing needles by the wheels and to interchange them therebetween in a predetermined program, said assembly also having edge braiding units for generally similar braiding, modified by marginal return motion of lacing needles; an elevated central braid lifter assembly having blade means coordinated with the wing wheels, the track switches and the control means, to receive braided yarn elements in inward, upward motion therefrom and to complete their interlacing; supports, slideable in directions generally parallel to said inward upward motions; means for pivotally mounting said blade means on said supports; and power means for operating the braid lifter assembly.
 1. A machine for knotless net braiding comprising: a generally circular, horizontal braiding assembly having normal braiding units for braiding yarns into interlaced net elements; wing wheels in each braiding unit for said braiding; lacing needles on said wheels; track switches generally interposed between such wing wheels; power and control means for the braiding assembly, to move the lacing needles by the wheels and to interchange them therebetween in a predetermined program, said assembly also having edge braiding units for generally similar braiding, modified by marginal return motion of lacing needles; an elevated central braid lifter assembly having blade means coordinated with the wing wheels, the track switches and the control means, to receive braided yarn elements in inward, upward motion therefrom and to complete their interlacing; supports, slideable in directions generally parallel to said inward upward motions; means for pivotally mounting said blade means on said supports; and power means for operating the braid lifter assembly.
 2. A machine as described in claim 1 wherein the power means for operating the blade lifter assembly is arranged to be operated by the power means of the braiding assembly.
 3. A machine according to claim 1 also including lace holder means in the braid lifter assembly, and wherein each normal braiding unit has several braiding heads and each braiding head has several wing wheels arranged in a regular pattern, while the braid lifter assembly has a pair of blades for each pattern, each blade lying in a plane which intersect the center of the corresponding pattern and being cyclically moveable toward and apart from the lace holder and from another, similarly oriented blade, along said planes.
 4. A machine for knotless net braiding, comprising: a generally circular, horizontal braiding assembly having braiding units for braiding yarns into interlaced net elements; winged wheels in each braiding unit for said braiding; latching needles on and movable by said winged wheels; all of said braiding units having mutually similar groups of even numbers of winged wheels, each group being arranged according to a regular pattern, whereby the yarns are interlaced in form of 8-shaped braid elements; track switch means between successive ones of said groups of winged wheels; elevated control braid lifter means for interlacing different ones of said braid elements into a knotless net; and means for controlling and moving the winged wheels, track switch means and braid lifter means in unison.
 5. A machine according to claim 4, including a series of generally horizontal, plate-like structures providing pivot and housing means for said winged wheels of the braiding assembly.
 6. A machine as described in claim 5, additionally including a series of column support means for the braiding assembly, one column means being provided between every two braiding units.
 7. A machine according to claim 4 additionally including separation braiding units generally similar to the normal braiding units and containing the same number of braiding heads while also including means whereby they can be operated as edge braiding units.
 8. A machine as described in claim 7 wherein each normal braiding unit and each separation braiding unit has three braiding heads.
 9. A machine as described in claim 8 wherein each braiding head has four winged wheels.
 10. A machine according to claim 4 wherein the control means includes feeler means for cooperation with a control card, the braiding assembly having magnets controlled by the feeler means and controlling the track switches.
 11. A machine according to claim 4 wherein the braiding assembly includes a series of said normal braiding units, a pair of said edge braiding units, and at least one pair of separation braiding units generally similar to the normal braiding units and interposed between such units, each unit comprising at least one braiding head having four winged wheels and the assembly having means for controlling the track switches of the normal braiding units in one way and for controlling those of the edge braiding units and potentially those of the separation braiding units in another way.
 12. A machine according to claim 4 also including yarn spools on said lacing needles for feeding yarn into each braiding unit, each spool having spring means for maintaining uniform tension in the yarn, each spring means having a compression spring and cam means concentrically connected therewith for compensating variations of pressure of said spring.
 13. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the braid lifter assembly has a power unit including a groove drum and a plurality of plungers engaging the same for actuation of the braid lifter blades.
 14. A machine according to claim 13 additionally having a central drive gear driven by the power means for the braiding assembly and directly driving said assembly by transmissions arranged radially of the machine, said gear being arranged also to drive an intermediate transmission for actuating the power unit of the braid lifter assembly.
 15. A machine according to claim 13 including a power and control transmission for each braid lifting blade, said transmission including means for rearranging the coordination of the blades to the winged wheels whenever the lacing needles are interchanged between said wheels.
 16. A machine according to claim 13 additionally including brake means for the sliding supports of the braid lifting blades.
 17. A machine according to claim 13 additionally including mechanism in the braid lifting assembly for holding yarns separated from one another for insertion of the braid lifting blades therebetween.
 18. A machine according to claim 17 including means for moving the yarn separating means to response to motion of the power means for the braid lifting assembly. 